Listening exercise
CBS videos: The Early Show
Reporter's Cancer Video Diary
Go to:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=656407n
Click on: Health, then scroll in the lefthand menu to Reporter's Cancer Video Diary to play the video
More information on breast cancer is available from the Mayo Clinic site:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=60689E89-5CBB-4CF9-8EE0087E7BD7C85D&si=2678

Questions:
1. Give the Chinese for the following items:
diagnosis, biopsy, ovarian cancer, cancer gene, gossip columnist, scoop, not to pull any punches, blocked milk duct, tumor, self-conscious, lymph nodes, radioactive dye, morphine, chemotherapy (chemo), aggressive, in vitro fertilization, mastectomy, gut-wrenching, to make light of a situation, IV-pole, dose-dense, to implant, to drain a wound, sterile, lab results, strands, toxic radiation, priority, nightmare

2. Laurie knew she had the breast/ovarian cancer gene. How did she prepare herself for the eventuality of getting breast and/or ovarian cancer before she discovered she had breast cancer?

3. What were some of the possible negative consequences of Laurie's illness and treatment that seemed to concern her most?

4. Do you know someone who has had to battle cancer? If you are willing, describe the experience briefly.

Cloze exercise:
Laurie Stein, a (1)__________ from our CBS station WFOR in Miami,
got some news last year that no woman (2)__________ to hear.
She had breast cancer.
Instead of keeping her diagnosis and treatment a (3)__________,
she decided to share her personal story with her (4)__________,
no (5)__________ a very tough thing to do, and Laurie, good morning.
Good morning, Renee.

You know, (6)__________ I (7)__________ to
keep this story as private as possible. But when I got a call from a local
gossip columnist (8)__________ for a big scoop,
I (9)__________ up my mind to tell my story without pulling any punches.
So I got help from my family (10) __________
who were (11)__________ the camera for my video diary.

Before I got (12)__________, I got a test for the cancer gene,
because breast and ovarian cancer (13) __________ in my family.
Unfortunately, the results were bad.
I had the gene, which (14)__________ I had a high probability of getting cancer.
But I was (15) __________ not to let a cancer gene
(16)__________ my life or my plans. We got married and tried to
put the test results in the back of our minds.
We thought cancer was something (17) __________ people got.

Good!
On November 12, 2002, I gave birth to a (18) __________ baby girl.
And we're absolutely in love with her. We can't take our (19)__________ off her.

But just eight months later when I (20)__________ taking a (21)__________,
I (22)__________ a small lump. Since I was still breastfeeding,
doctors (23)__________ it was simply a blocked milk duct,
but they (24)__________ a biopsy just to be (25)__________.
The biopsy (26)__________ I had a cancerous tumor in my left breast.

There's a bump right there.

A week later I was still in (27)__________ and I could not stop thinking about
what this (28)__________ for my daughter. Michael and I vowed to fight cancer
as aggressively as possible. We (29)__________ as doctors at Sloan-Kettering
injected my tumor with a radioactive dye, so they can see if the cancer
has spread into my lymph nodes.

It didn't hurt much? No. It didn't hurt.

However, we don't get these results for several days.
Meanwhile, I (30)__________ to prepare myself for the fact
that I will have (31) __________ breasts removed.
The night before surgery my husband Michael and I
try/tried to make light of the situation. "Say good-bye!" (Michael laughs)

After six hours of surgery I (32)__________ up in pain
and I was itching terribly.
I had an allergic (33) __________ to the morphine
and I (34)__________ not stop scratching my face.

And it hurts here?

It's moments like these when you realize
how much you need your friends and your family.
But the person that Michael and I needed most,
our baby Paulina, was not even (35)__________ in the room.
So my sister Susan put a (36)__________ of her above my bed.
My sister Amy took me and my IV-pole down to the lobby
so I could (37)__________ her for a few minutes.

One of the worst things about cancer is that it (38)__________
like you are always (39)__________ for more bad news.
This time we're (39) _________ for test results to see
whether my surgeons got (40)__________ the cancer.

The recovery was painful and (41)__________ .
After the surgery I had (42)__________ implanted to drain the wounds.
For weeks I had to (43)__________ them inside my (44)__________.
I was self-conscious, and I worried that people would know
what I was going (45)__________ .

Doctors finally had the (46)__________ (47)__________
from surgery and the news was bad. The cancer had spread
to my lymph node and the tumor was bigger (48)__________ they thought.

Because the cancer had (49)__________, I needed
aggressive chemotherapy. But what many people don't realize
is that chemo (50)__________ make a young woman sterile.
So before I started chemo, I (51)__________ to go (52)__________
one more medical procedure: in vitro fertilization
to remove and then (53)__________ some eggs. (54)__________ that was done,
I was ready for chemotherapy (55)__________ Mount Sinai in Miami Beach.

Hey, Laurie, how are you? OK.

(56)__________ weeks I (57)__________ all my eyebrows, eyelashes,
and hair, (58)__________ for the few strands I (59)__________ to part with.
My doctors prescribed the most intense chemo possible,
(60) __________ "dose-dense chemo", every two weeks for four months.

I'm a wimp. That's all right.

The chemo is basically (61)__________ to (62)__________ cancer cells,
and it (63) __________ me out so I couldn't even care
for Paulina any more, and Michael (64)__________ to take (65) __________.
Then I got something called "chemo brain".
I (66)__________ remember names, (67)__________ , or
just about anything. Combine that with the way
I (68)__________ and I worried I'll never be the same again.

Next (69)__________ two months of radiation treatments,
although my tumor's gone, and we're hoping chemo
stopped any spread. We (70)__________ to be extra sure.

Bring this, because it's always cold in there.

Every morning I lie perfectly (71)__________ while toxic
radiation beams into my (72)__________ and underarms.

And I try not to think about all the radiation.

After battling breast cancer, I (73)__________ imagine
dealing with another cancer, so I did something
very dramatic: I had my healthy ovaries (74)__________.

It was a gut-wrenching (75)__________, because
my husband Michael and I were (76)__________ in love
with our daughter Paulina that we (77)__________
even more children (78)__________ our family.
But I also realized that my first priority
(79)__________ staying alive for the child we already have.

I'm so glad I'm here, so glad I'm here,
so glad I'm here every day...

There are (80)__________ when I don't feel
like a cancer survivor, when it seems
like last year's nightmare (81)__________ even real.
My (82)__________ coming back, and I can finally
enjoy my life again, and my time
with my husband and daughter.

Oh, my gosh, what a story. Laurie, how
are you doing? How are you feeling?
I'm doing pretty well.
I think that the thing people don't
understand, though, is that you live
with the fear every day of it coming back,
so I'm trying to (83)__________ it day by day.

Some people might look at the course
of action you (84)__________ as, as very aggressive,
and, and maybe feel like your condition
didn't warrant that.
But you believe exactly the opposite.

Well, cancer is very aggressive, isn't it?
And I had a (85)__________ -three tumor,
and I have the BRCA cancer gene,
which usually (86)__________ in young women
that your cancer will be aggressive.
So I felt like I had to fight it, um,
as, as strongly as possible.
And I think a lot of people don't realize
you can look great after a (87)__________ mastectomy.
My husband says I look even better.
And also people don't realize that
it's nothing to be (88) __________ about.
I feel good about the way I look
and I feel like I (89)__________ the right choices.
I feel like I won't ever have a (90)__________
when I look back and say, I should have done more.

Ah, your husband... you'd only been married like
four years... Um-hm. Or, uh, four years? Four years. Yeah.
How did he handle all this? Well, it was (91)__________ for him, obviously.
You know, he told me... when I, when I (92)__________ down
to actually get (93)__________ the (94)__________ tape and talk to him,
he (95)__________, "I (96)__________ for the first week",
and I didn't even (97)__________ that.
But (98)__________ (99)__________ it beautifully.
(100)__________ been there every step of the way.

Yeah. Laurie Stein, it's so great to see you;
really, very good to see you. Thanks so much.

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